Crist was a first-year starter taking the reins for a defending champion — which is about as tough a spot as you can be in — but you’d never know it watching him out there. Crist only threw it 11 times, but he went 7-of-11 for 222 yards and 3 passing TDs — that’s not “steady,” that’s backbreaking. He never looked rattled, never looked like he was forcing it, and you could tell he trusted what he was seeing: if Arcadia gave him a window, he took it, and if they busted a coverage for even a second, it turned into points. And it wasn’t just the deep ball either — he added a rushing TD to finish off a key drive too, so it wasn’t all fireworks from distance. That’s what makes it feel unfair: the volume wasn’t huge, but the damage was. One minute it’s a game, the next minute you’re looking up and wondering how this one got away.

Crist was a first-year starter taking the reins for a defending champion — which is about as tough a spot as you can be in — but you’d never know it watching him out there. Crist only threw it 11 times, but he went 7-of-11 for 222 yards and 3 passing TDs — that’s not “steady,” that’s backbreaking. He never looked rattled, never looked like he was forcing it, and you could tell he trusted what he was seeing: if Arcadia gave him a window, he took it, and if they busted a coverage for even a second, it turned into points. And it wasn’t just the deep ball either — he added a rushing TD to finish off a key drive too, so it wasn’t all fireworks from distance. That’s what makes it feel unfair: the volume wasn’t huge, but the damage was. One minute it’s a game, the next minute you’re looking up and wondering how this one got away.